AML Therapy With Irradiated Allogeneic Cells

Inclusion Criteria: * Histologically proven non-M3 AML: * Refractory/relapsed AML OR * Initial diagnosis of AML in patient \>= 60 years old * Total bilirubin =\< 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) institutional limits (unless Gilbert's disease) * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase \[SGOT\])/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase \[SGPT\]) =\< 2.5 X institutional ULN * Cardiac left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) \>= 35% * Serum creatinine =\< 1.5 mg/dl * Any organ dysfunction thought to be secondary to disease will be considered separately and the patient will be included at the investigators discretion * Patients must give informed consent * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status =\< 3 * Must have a potential haploidentical donor (parent, sibling, child) * A patient is eligible for second enrollment (allo-cellular therapy) if all of the following inclusion criteria are met: * Patient must have documented CR or CRp after 1 or 2 cycles of fludarabine + cytarabine * Patient must not be a candidate for an allo-hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) * Patient must have a partially (\>= 3/6 class I antigen) human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched (by serology or low resolution deoxyribonucleic acid \[DNA\] testing) relative able to serve as a donor * Patients must not have active uncontrolled infections, other medical or psychological/social conditions that might increase the likelihood of patient adverse effects or poor outcomes * Total bilirubin \< 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) institutional limits (unless Gilbert's disease) * AST(SGOT)/ALT(SGPT) =\< 2.5 X institutional ULN * Serum creatinine \< 2.0 mg/dl * ECOG performance status =\< 2 * DONOR: donor must be related to patient and be partially (\>= 3/6 antigen) HLA-matched * DONOR: donor must meet all New Brunswick Affiliated Hospitals (NBAH) requirements for hematopoietic stem cell donation, including: * DONOR: age \>= 18 years old * DONOR: white blood cells (WBC) 4.0-10.0 x 10\^3/mm\^3 * DONOR: platelet count 150,000 to 440,000/mm\^3 * DONOR: hemoglobin/hematocrit; 12.5-18 g/dl, 38 to 54% * DONOR: not pregnant or lactating * DONOR: not human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1, HIV-2, hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B core or human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV)-I/II seropositive; hepatitis B surface antigen (HB S ag) (-); meet other infectious disease screening criteria utilized by NBAH Blood Center * DONOR: no uncontrolled infections, other medical or psychological/social conditions, or medications that might increase the likelihood of patient or donor adverse effects or poor outcomes * DONOR: meet other blood bank criteria for blood product donation (as determined by NBAH Blood Center screening history and laboratory studies) Exclusion Criteria: * History of current or prior medical problems that the investigator feels will prevent administration of therapy or assessment of response due to excess toxicity * Patients with known active central nervous system (CNS) leukemia will be excluded from this clinical study * Known HIV-positive patients are excluded from the study * Patients may not be pregnant or breast feeding